Federal Government to Lift Ban on Pell Grants for Incarcerated People

WASHINGTON, DC, August 3, 2015–The National LGBTQ Task Force applauds Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Attorney General Loretta Lynch on their recent announcement that the Administration will lift the ban on Pell Grants to incarcerated people. The Second Chance Pell Pilot program makes some people incarcerated in state and federal prisons eligible for Pell Grants, which are education grants that do not need to be repaid. Since 1994, prisoners have not had access to Pell Grants.

“Five percent of LGBTQ people are incarcerated compared to 2.9 percent of non-LGBTQ people. This important announcement gives incarcerated people a fair chance at accessing education to help them succeed and will help prevent further contact with the criminal justice system. We look forward to continuing to work with the Obama administration on criminal justice reform, to ensure that the system is fair for all LGBTQ people,” said Rea Carey, Executive Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force.